Stepping out of campus and experiencing spring, many universities in Beijing, Sichuan, Fujian, Anhui and other places have begun to explore spring break. A reporter from China Youth Daily and China Youth Net found that, similar to the time setting of spring break in primary and secondary schools, spring break in universities is generally 2-3 days, which is connected to the Qingming or May Day holidays and can form a continuous holiday of 6-10 days. Li Pengbo, Secretary of the Party Committee and Professor of the School of Tourism Science at Beijing International Studies University, introduced that there is currently no unified standard for spring break in domestic universities, and it is often flexibly set based on the school calendar, teaching arrangements, and regional characteristics. Overall, the popularity of college spring break is increasing, moving from a pilot program to a normalized one, and the coverage is gradually expanding. The reporter noticed that many universities encourage students to independently arrange their spring break itinerary. This year is the eighth year that Sichuan Southwest Airlines Vocational College has implemented the "Pan American Spring Break", which is scheduled from April 1st to 6th. During spring break, faculty members take paid leave, and students are encouraged to step out of campus and experience spring. The project leader of the school, Liu Ming, stated that since the establishment of Spring Break, the founder and first dean of the school, Wei Quanbin, advocated for students to "go out and appreciate flowers and fall in love" in spring, combining Spring Break with emotional education, life education, and social practice. The tradition of establishing spring break at Renmin University of China can be traced back to 2004, usually connected to the May Day holiday, which lasts for about a week. Spring break provides us with a short period of rest, allowing us to temporarily put aside our research work, make up for the missed spring scenery, and also a good opportunity to spend time with our families, "said Wu Kelin, a doctoral student at the school. A student from Capital Normal University told reporters that last year during the school's spring break, she went to Hainan with friends to travel during off peak hours, saving time and travel costs. She had a great time and could also spend the May Day holiday with her family. Li Xin, a 2024 accounting major student at Sichuan University of Commerce, plans to take advantage of spring break to visit Xiamen with friends. She has planned a detailed itinerary: on the first day, she will go to Jimei Study Village and check in some niche shops; The next day, go to Gulangyu Island and visit the beautiful scenery on the island; On the third day, I plan to go to Nanputuo Temple... "The way college students travel during spring break presents the overall characteristics of lightweight, high cost-effectiveness, and diverse practicality. ”According to Li Pengbo's analysis, most students travel in groups for short distances, with a focus on light trips of 3-4 days, emphasizing leisure activities such as hiking, cultural exploration, and special food experiences. Returning home for home rest and accompanying family members are also essential needs for many students. In choosing travel destinations for spring break, students prefer suburban and local cultural and tourism areas within their residential area and high-speed rail commuting circle, balancing convenience and economy; Cross regional travel focuses on cities with rich cultural heritage, complete cultural and tourism facilities, and friendly student preferential policies, preferring natural ecological scenery, historical and cultural blocks, and niche scenic spots. Some universities have also explicitly introduced a "menu" for spring vacation study, advocating that students should not "herd sheep" during their holidays. Beijing University of Information Science and Technology has specified that this year's "Spring Break Study" period will be from April 6th to 12th, with the theme of "Reading Mountains and Rivers, Writing Without Words, Traveling Thousands of Miles of Youth". According to the official WeChat official account of the university, 104 university level research activities were organized this year, including six theme routes, which are expected to cover more than 6500 person times. The school president Guo Fu previously said in a media interview, "The school supports students whether they participate in graduate studies, internships, watching movies, or studying." Some universities, although not explicitly on spring break, use this time to organize various activities. For example, according to previous arrangements, although universities such as Beijing Language and Culture University and Communication University of China have not explicitly stated that they will have a "spring break", they will use this period to hold activities such as book weeks and practice weeks. Some universities will combine sports events to provide students with a "spring break" period. A university teacher told reporters that as a teacher, she is also looking forward to using her spring break time to spend with her family and adjust her work status. If the school organizes some interesting study tours or social practice projects, she is willing to lead or participate. Students are free to choose whether to participate in school organized activities or arrange on their own, without being tied to credits or forced to set assignments. Some projects may also participate in extracurricular bonus points, "she added. Regarding this, Li Pengbo analyzed that from the overall trend, at present, most students are more inclined to independently plan their spring break arrangements, and the proportion of actively participating in school organized study tours and social practice activities is relatively limited. This demonstrates the contemporary college students' pursuit of holiday flexibility, practicality, and personalized growth. At the same time, spring break activities organized by universities that are tailored to professional characteristics, have high-quality resources, and complete guarantees have certain attractiveness. If they are accompanied by positive incentives such as practical credits and professional practical exercises, they can also be recognized by students. Some students choose to stay on campus for rest and adjustment, which still fully reflects the core values of spring break. ”Li Pengbo said, "The original intention of spring break is not to forcibly guide students to travel and engage in outdoor activities, but to reserve independent 'blank space' for students to grow." Chu Chaohui, a researcher at the China Academy of Educational Sciences, believes that in current higher education, it is necessary to increase social practice, field research, internships and other projects and activities that truly engage with society, which can be spring break, autumn break or any other form. The key is to leave time for universities and students to arrange independently. In addition, many universities are still observing whether to set up spring break. Due to differences in teaching arrangements among different universities and colleges, it is unreasonable to require universities to take concentrated spring and autumn breaks during certain periods. ”Chu Chaohui said that universities need to leave room for flexibility and adjustment in the overall teaching system design, and at the same time, the right to make independent arrangements should be handed over to the institutions themselves. Li Pengbo also holds the same view: when spring break is implemented in universities in different regions, it is necessary to adhere to the principles of adapting measures to local conditions, implementing policies according to categories, and gradually progressing, and not to adopt a one size fits all approach. It is also necessary to coordinate teaching arrangements and holiday safety. Spring break is not a 'squeeze' on teaching, but an optimization and adjustment of teaching pace. ”In Li Pengbo's opinion, a reasonably arranged spring break will not have a substantial impact on normal teaching and learning. From the practice of most universities, as long as it is planned in advance and coordinated as a whole, spring break can be fully embedded into the normal teaching cycle without impacting core teaching tasks. Instead, it can improve learning efficiency in the second half of the semester through appropriate rest and recuperation. More universities need support from multiple parties to ensure the safe implementation of spring break. Li Pengbo suggested that universities can deeply integrate spring break with study tours, school enterprise cooperation, rural revitalization, etc., providing students with practical platforms and attracting local cultural tourism and rural economy. (New Society)